Vladimír
Mr. Vladimír was not troubled by any health complications all his life. He was committed to a healthy lifestyle and played hockey intensively until the age of 35. It was all the more surprising when a heart attack came out of the blue. Vladimir was 74 years old. However, as it later turned out, the heart attack was not the last event that managed to shake up the order of priorities amidst health care…
“Basically, I have undergone treatment for two of the statistically worst diseases within 6 months,” he nonchalantly states at the beginning of our interview. The second diagnosis was a finding on his prostate, which came exactly between two planned heart surgeries. “When I received the notification of my prostate cancer diagnosis, I already knew the Proton Centre existed. So I contacted it immediately, even though I had no medical recommendation, only an outpatient report of the tumor’s detection. I then began treatment almost immediately after my second heart surgery, which took place last August.”
When an unexpected health complication strikes, Mr. Vladimir considers immediate action to be absolutely crucial. He believes that one must act without delay, otherwise one risks a race against time. He first contacted the Proton Centre himself by phone, arranged an initial consultation with a doctor, followed by the necessary initial examinations, and finally only the exact date for the start of treatment was arranged. In his case, however, treatment had to be started only after the second heart surgery, which was necessary for recovery.
According to his words, Vladimír was extremely satisfied with the cardiological care at the hospital in České Budějovice and he does not spare any praise for the proton therapy in Prague. Especially in terms of the approach of the medical staff and all the staff of the Proton Centre. He also points out the necessity of cooperation in the patient’s approach – he himself knew that he wanted to be cured in the Proton Centre. “I didn’t want any other type of treatment, I read and studied everything, the whole treatment was completely smooth, the insurance company approved it and I had no problem whatsoever with performing any activity after completing it.”
During the five weeks that he commuted to Prague by car from České Budějovice for treatment, regular visits to the Proton Centre became an integral part of his daily routine. Today, he feels wonderful and notes with amusement that the end of the therapy took him somewhat by surprise. “It’s strange, I’m undergoing treatment for a serious illness, and I’m still looking forward to going back. The pleasant environment and team, the amazing technical equipment, the knowledgeable specialists and, in short, everyone I met here left such a good impression on me that I realised how much I would actually miss my regular trips to the Proton Centre when I returned home from my last radiation treatment.”
The fact that the Proton Centre has left a strong impression on Vladimír is also evidenced by the enthusiasm with which he describes his own enthusiastic vision of the future of proton therapy in the Czech Republic: “I would imagine the construction of a European proton centre, right next to the motorway near České Budějovice, where not only patients from the Czech Republic would come for treatment, but also patients from across European countries. In this way, the excellent access, expertise and level of treatment would be made available to an even wider range of patients. Everyone should have the opportunity to choose how they want to be treated for their cancer,” concludes a former patient, for whom every check-up at the Proton Centre is still a pleasant duty.